Unloading-chute.



F. R. POMEROY.

UNLOADING GHUTE.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 2, 1912 1 053 9 Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

77m fa ammy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK R. POMEROY, 0F BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

UNLOADING-OHUTE.

Application filed January 2, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK R. POMEROY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Unloading-Chutes,of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises an unloading chute especially adapted to beused in connection wit-h freight cars for the purpose of facilitatingthe unloading of coal, sand, and similar contents of the car.

The unloading chute of this invention is provided with means at one endwhereby said end may be detachably engaged over a side of a car, theopposite end of the chute having a dumping door which is operable bypeculiar actuating means.

An especial feature of the invention resides in the mounting of thedumping door of the chute so that it may be readily detached to therebydecrease the weight of the chute body and permit of its being easilyhandled, as when moved from one car to another, or in mounting the chuteupon a car.

A secondary feature of especial advantage is the construction of thechute whereby it is collapsible so as to occupy a comparatively smallspace when not in use, the collapsibilit-y also facilitating thehandling of the device in an obvious manner. Special locking means isalso provided for the dumping door of the chute, and is operable by themeans that actuates said door in opening same.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to behad to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chute embodying the invention,the same being shown in operative position in respect to the sideportion of a car. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the chute with the doorclosed, the device being arranged on a car. Fig. 3 is a view of thechute looking from the end opposite that from which the view in Fig. 2is taken, the side of the car being shown in dotted lines. Fig. l is aplan view of the device collapsed. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspectiveview bringing out more clearly the operating means for the lock rod.Fig. 6 is a sectional View showing more clearly the mounting of thedoor. Fig. 7 is a frag- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18,1913.

Serial No. 668,838.

ings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

In the drawings, 1 denotes the side por tion of a car to which the chuteA is applied. Said chute comprises a bottom 2 and sides projectingupwardly from said bottom, each side being composed of a lower rigidsection 3 and an upper folding section 4 hinged to the lower section asshown at 5. A reinforcing iron 6 extends around the chute A transverselythereof and is sectional in order to accommodate for the movement of theupper sect-ions 4 of the sides, when the chute is collapsed.

At one end, the chute is open and provided at said end, upon the lowersection 3 of each side, with a vertically movable engaging member orbolt 7, the advantage of the arrangement of which will be set forthhereinafter. At the opposite end of the chute is the detachable door 8formed with reinforcing strips 9 on its outer surface, said stripsprojecting above the door and being bent to provide hooks 10. he hooks10 engage over the transverse portion of a U- shaped bar 11, the sidesof which are hinged at 12 to plates 13 applied to the adjacentextremities of the sections 3 of the chute sides.

One of the sides of the chute has a bracket 1 L on its upper section 4and in said bracket is mounted a rock shaft 15 having an operating arm16, a crank 17 adjacent to its upper end, and an eccentric actuatingdisk 18 at its lower end. An actuating rod 19 is permanently but movablyconnected to an arm 20 on the dumping door 8, as shown in Fig. 7, andthe other end of said rod has a snap hook 19 adapted to detachablyengage a plate 21 affixed to the crank 17 On the under side of thebottom 2 of the chute are channel irons 22, adjacent to the lower endsof which are pivoted the braces 23. Each brace 23 has a shoe 2%,preferably also of channeled material, pivoted thereto and flexiblemembers 25 connect the parts 22 and 24L so as to limit the extent ofrelative movement of said parts, in the operation of placing the chuteupon the car.

Guided by the strips 9 on the dumping door, and movable between saidstrips and said door, is a locking rod 26, one end of ing the door fromthe chute by disengaging which is adapted to be engaged by the eccentricdisk 18, so that the rod will be pushed longitudinally by said disk whenthe shaft 15 is operated to throw the dumping door open. The initialmovement of the shaft moves the rod 26 until off-set portions 27 of saidrod are opposite catches 28 on the sides of the chute, whereupon saidcatches become disengaged from the rod and release the door, the openingof which is accomplished by subsequent movement of the shaft 15. Theopening movement of the door is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and is,of course, caused by turning the shaft 1.5 through operation of the arm16 and crank 17. The axis of the crank 17 being a short distance fromthe adjacent side of the chute A, normally, said crank inclines inwardlytoward the chute. The initial move ment of the crank carries the pointof connection of the actuating rod 19 outward, not imparting alongitudinal or door opening movement to the rod. Said initial movementof the crank, through the disk 18, actuat-es the locking rod 26, andshortly after, the door is forcibly opened by the rod 19. lVhen the dooris permitted to close by operation of said shaft after the door hasreached a closed position, the rod 26 will be manually operated toengage it again with the catches 28, though a spring might be used forthe last mentioned purpose. By reason of the vertical arrangement of thebolts 7, it is apparent that when placing the chute on a car, said boltsmay be upraised so as not to project from the bottom of the chute, thusrendering the extent of lifting movement of the chute less than if thebolts were permanently projected from the chute. Of course, when theupper end of the chute is once seated on the side of the car, the bolts7 will be lowered to make the engagement secure. It will be apparentthat the crank 17 when in its normal position, cooperates through therod 19 to assist the hooks 28 in holding the door of the chute closed.Furtl'iermore, when the door has reached the limit of its openingmovement, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, since the point ofconnection of the rod 19 with the crank 17 is beyond the dead center, soto speak, in the direction of the chute, the door is supported in itsopen position by the crank and the rod 19. The crank 17 thus performs adual function, being an actuating device for forcing the door open, anda means for maintaining the door in its position until the shaft 15 isactuated to return the crank to its normal position.

Handles 29 on the lower section of each side of the chute facilitate itsportability. Of course, normally the door 8, by being arranged betweenthe sides of the chute, prevent collapsing thereof but, after removthehooks 10 from the bar 11 and the hook 19 from the crank of the shaft 15,the upper sections 1 of the chute sides may be readily moved inward tothe positions shown in Fig. 1, and. the bar 11 moved downwardly thereon.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact form and arrangement of partsas herein before described because the same may be modified in detailsin a manner readily apparent, and within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An unloading chute for cars comprising a bottom and sides, a dumpingdoor pivotally mounted on one end of the chute, locking mechanism forsaid door, operating means for the door comprising a shaft having acrank, means on the shaft to release the locking means of the door oninitial movement of said shaft, a connection between the crank and thedoor whereby movement of the crank will actuate the door after releaseof the locking mechanism, and means for supporting the shaft and itscrank on the chute so that when the door reaches the limit of itsopening movement the crank will assume a position maintaining said dooropen.

2. An unloading chute for cars, or the like, comprising a bottom andsides, a bar extending transversely of the chute adjacent to one end, adumping door detachably and pivotally mounted upon said bar, anoperating shaft mounted on one side of the chute, an actuating rodconnected with the door and detachably connected with the shaft foractuation by the latter, a locking rod mounted on the door, catches onthe sides of the chute coacting with said rod, and means on the shaftfor releasing the rod from said catches.

3. An unloading chute for cars comprising a bottom and sides, a dumpingdoor at one end of the chute, an operating shaft mounted on the chute,means for turning said shaft, a crank carried by the shaft, a connectionbetween the crank and door, and means supporting the shaft on the chuteso that the crank aforesaid will forcibly open the door when the shaftis operated, said crank being adapted to abut with the chute when thedoor reaches its open position so as to support the door in its openposition.

4:. An unloading chute for cars comprising a bottom, sides composed oflower rigid sections and upper folding sections, a U- shaped bar at oneend of the chute and pivotally connected to the lower sections of thesides so as to fold down upon the upper sections when the latter arefolded, a dumping door normally detachably connected to saic U-shapedbar and supported thereby at the adjacent end of the chute, and meansfor opening said door.

5. An unloading chute for cars comprising a bottom, sides composed oflower rigid sections and upper folding sections, a U- shaped bar at oneend of the chute and pivotally connected to the lower sections of thesides so as to fold down upon the upper sections When the latter arefolded, a dumping door normally detachably connected to said Ushaped barand supported thereby at the adjacent end of the chute, and operatingmechanism supported by the folding sections of one of the sides of thechute and having detachable connection with the door to permit removalof the latter from the chute.

6. An unloading chute for cars comprising sides and a bottom, the sidesbeing composed of lower rigid sections and upper hinged sections adaptedto fold down toward the bottom of the chute, a dumping door at one endof the chute, a. supporting member for the dumping door to hold thelatter in an operative position between the sides when the sections ofthe latter are operatively arranged for use, means detachably connectingthe door with the supporting member, said supporting member being alsoadapted to fold downwardly toward the bottom of the chute when thelatter is collapsed, and means for supporting the chute in operativeposition upon the side of a car.

7. An unloading chute for cars comprising sides and a bottom, the sidesbeing composed of lower rigid sections and upper sections adapted tofold down toward the bottom, a dumping door at one end of the chute,means for supporting said door between the sides when the latter are inoperative positions, locking means for normally holding the door closed,means on one of the folding side sections of the chute for releasing thelocking means aforesaid, a rock shaft mounted on one of the folding sidesections of the chute, means connecting said shaft with the door wherebyto forcibly open the latter, means on said shaft for actuating thelocking means in order to release the door, and means for supporting thechute in an operative position upon the side of a car.

S. An unloading chute for cars comprising sides and a bottom, a dumpingdoor at one end of the chute, locking means for positively holding saiddoor closed, operating means separate from the locking means forpositively opening the door, means intermediate said operating means andthe locking means whereby on initial movement of the operating means thedoor is unlocked and upon subsequent movement of the operating means thedoor is forcibly moved into an open position, and means for supportingthe chute in an operative position upon a car. 7

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK R. POMEROY. Vitnesses:

Gno. E. BUsH, D. N. F nn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

